A few nights ago, our German Shorthaired Pointer did not respond when I called him to come inside. It was already dark outside, so I went searching for him in our yard. He was lying under a big tree, intently looking up into the tree and refusing to move. I followed his gaze into the tree and was quite surprised to see a Small-Spotted Genet (Genetta genetta) sitting in the tree. It was not even trying to hide, relying solely on camouflaging and sitting very still. I took the dog away and called my family to show them the genet. It didn’t move, just sat there looking straight at us and our daughter even managed to take some surprisingly clear photographs of it.
I have only ever seen genets in the wild, or semi-wild (for example a rest camp in Kruger), or in urban areas directly adjacent to green belts or streams. We are not on the outskirts of town with no green areas nearby. There are busy roads on all sides of our suburb and a lot of activity at all hours of the day. Why would a genet come this far into town?
I started doing a bit of research and found out that genets are actually very comfortable in built-up areas, so much so that they are categorized as synanthropic - an undomesticated animal that lives in close association with people and benefits from their surroundings and activities. Some notes even say that they become very tame around human settlements. The main reasons for their comfortability around humans can be summariz
ed by the following points:
1) Food availability: Small-spotted genets are opportunistic feeders and will consume a variety of prey, including insects, rodents, birds, and small mammals. In towns and cities, they can find food sources such as garbage bins, pet food left outside, and even insects attracted to streetlights.
2) Shelter: Genets are known to use various types of shelter, including tree hollows and human-made structures like buildings and attics.
3) Lack of predators: In urban areas, genets may have fewer natural predators compared to more rural or wild environments. This reduced predation pressure can contribute to their willingness to inhabit towns and cities.
4) Temperature regulation: Urban environments can have a more stable and moderate temperature than open areas. Buildings, for example, provide shelter from extreme weather conditions, making them attractive to genets seeking temperature regulation and protection from the elements.
Genets are mostly nocturnal, which is probably the main reason why we don’t see them often, even though they are fairly common in most parts of Southern Africa. They prefer woodland and drier areas of grassland and are mostly absent from densely afforested wet areas and true desert. Their main defense mechanism is secreting and evil-smelling musk from the anal-glands. These animals are very capable of taking care of themselves in an urban environment. If you encounter one of these beautiful cats, steer clear of scaring it, please don’t feed it (more about feeding wild animals on another day) and enjoy the beauty of experiencing a bit of nature in your backyard. Then please let us know where and when you saw it. I would love to get your feedback on this and other wild animals that share our homes, yards and farms with us.
Photo By Erika Prinsloo
Published by Dr. Helen Prinsloo
